Medications As Poison (pain, thyroid, forehead, skin)

[Nature Guy]

In the mid-90's I had the opportunity to work for Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. My job allowed interaction with many of the various departments one would encounter in such a setting. My suspicions of the conservative medical field were, not surprisingly, largely confirmed.

Having grown up in the progressive San Francisco "mentality" of the late 60's, I've always had a fascination with the body and mind and how these two elements interact and more importantly...how natural substances assist in healing. Sadly, the medical industry in the United States is invested heavily in the myriad concoctions (i.e., pills, medicines) directed and prescribed by doctors for treating various illnesses and ailments. They often have financial incentives from large medical companies to promote these products.

What most people fail to realize is that many of these "medicines" derive there active ingredients from natural sources! An example; the papaya enzyme. This readily available natural substance is the active ingredient in the more effective antacids. A couple of tablets works wonders for this common complaint! Try it sometime and see for yourself.

Another rather amazing natural substance I've researched and used myself is Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A). As a young child, I lived in Miami, Florida and spent lots of time at the beach. Years later, I started to develop skin lesions (on my forehead) that grew slowly, became inflamed around the edges and itched. This condition is generally referred to as a pre-cancerous skin condition.

Frightening, right? My past knowledge and some internet research informed me that Beta-Carotene could largely cure this situation! Wow!! Could this possibly be true? The medical profession never mentioned this. How is this possible? Out of curiosity, I bought a bottle of beta-carotene at the local vitamin store and started ingesting this. To my DELIGHT and amazement....it actually worked!!

This nearly dime-sized mole that had grown on my forehead (and been there over two years) was slowly disappearing. After perhaps five or six weeks of beta-carotene caplets, this apparently cancerous lesion was GONE!! And my overall facial skin appearance improved, as well.

My practical experiences and observations while employed by Eisenhower Hospital clearly demonstrated to me that all these doctors were simply not promoting any natural cure remedies! The reason, apparently, was MONEY. There's not much money to be made telling patients that papaya or beta-carotene might just cure there problems! And who knows how many other natural elements might have amazing curative properties.

Doctors (like lawyers, and other professions) want there years of "education" to equate to M-O-N-E-Y. They didn't spend countless hours pouring over books, attending classes and reading journals only to have the remedies within the reach of most people...at considerable savings. We are currently living in an Age of Information unparelleled in history. Use this astonishing information for YOUR purposes.

Sure, there may be some illegitimate and incorrect information on the internet, but look for the general, most-mentioned stuff as the probable "truthful" information you seek. I personally have found this to be largely beneficial for nearly everything I seek information on. The most-mentioned is the most truthful.

The time-honored medical profession certainly has its' value and is life-saving in many instances, but be aware that they often lack the ability to suggest less-costly (but no less effective) methods of alternate treatments for a number of human illnesses and ailments.

EXPLORE THE INTERNET. GET THE FACTS. CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS. And may you live a healthier and more informed life.

[*Danielle*]

Did you have this lesion on your forhead biopsied? Because unless you have a degree in Dermatology, how on earth would you know if it was truely cancer?

The only treatment for skin CA of any kind is to get it cut out...not medicate.

[Nature Guy]

As with many human illnesses and ailments, there's always a degree of uncertainty. I largely base my "evaluation" on my mother and father, both of whom had similar skin conditions with the same symtoms.

Upon consultation with a doctor and/or dermatologist (at prestigious Eisenhower Medical Center facilities), they were told these were common "pre-cancerous" mole(s). My folks, being in there mid to late 70's at the time, took the advice of these physicians and had these lesions removed surgically. (Unfortunately, many if not most older generations have the utmost trust in these revered medical professions...for better or worse).

There symtoms were the same as mine, nevertheless. Living in the Palm Springs area, with it's predominant "sun worshipper lifestyle", the local doctors were more than well acquainted with these types of skin problems. Apparently, a close look indicated this rather common skin condition. They also had some of these lesions on the back of the neck. My dad had some on his ears. All this, they were told by the physician, due to over-exposure to the sun in years past. Tests proved positive.

My own treatment is by and large based on this, and was admittedly, a shot in the dark. But I prefer personal experience, and even looked up various photos of similar looking skin lesions (along with other internet data) to further substantiate my suspicions that I did, indeed, have a pre-cancerous skin lesion that was apparently trying to enter a more dangerous phase of growth.

While my "prescribed" treatment seems to have worked with flying colors and great success, I'm fully aware that there's rarely a definitive "once size fits all" remedy for this or any other possible medical problem. Such is life. Surely I could pursue a costly investigation into this (or any other) health/problem, but my own personal preference is research.

Had my "treatment" NOT obtained the desired results, you can bet I would have taken the steps for further evaluation by some professional. My research has shown most human health problems stem from some imbalance and/or lack of some essential element (i.e., enzyme, vitamin, mineral, etc.). There are those who disagree with this approach.

I continue to monitor the situation and take note of any odd or unusual developments. To date, there has been none. I can only assume my treatment was amazingly effective. That's not to say beta-carotene "cures" cancer!! But, for some reason, it seems effective for early, pre-cancerous skin growths. My guess is that there's some point at which nutrition comes too little, too late.

At any rate, I seem to have chosen a VERY effective method to treat an alarming condition BEFORE it evolved into something more lethal. But time will tell.

[bluedevilz]

Nice rant....

Unfortunately the two examples you post are patently untrue...

1) Find one "effective" antacid that list papaya or papain as an active ingredient. Good luck with that

2) Beta carotene does not "cure" skin cancers, it doesn't even prevent them which was a common thought some years ago until someone actually studied it and found out there was no protection from beta carotene.

NEJM -- A clinical trial of beta carotene to prevent basal-cell and squamous-cell cancers of the skin. The Skin Cancer Prevention Study Group

Not only have Vitamin A supplements been found to be ineffective in preventing cancer, high doses are in fact toxic and have been found to INCREASE the risk of certain cancers including lung CA

ACS :: Vitamin A and Beta Carotene

Oral and topical retinoids which are synthetic derivatives of Vitamin A have shown promise in treatment and prevention of certain skin cancers.....but Vitamin A tablets off the shelf....nope.

Glad your employment at Eisenhower gave you such "insight" into the treatment provided by physicians there (what exactly was your role?)...

Of course, it HAD to be about the MONEY, couldn't have been the fact that so many "natural" remedies that are touted on the internet have no data to support their use, or have in fact been studied and found to be useless

[2girlsand2boys]

Originally Posted by bluedevilz

Nice rant....

Unfortunately the two examples you post are patently untrue...

1) Find one "effective" antacid that list papaya or papain as an active ingredient. Good luck with that

2) Beta carotene does not "cure" skin cancers, it doesn't even prevent them which was a common thought some years ago until someone actually studied it and found out there was no protection from beta carotene.

NEJM -- A clinical trial of beta carotene to prevent basal-cell and squamous-cell cancers of the skin. The Skin Cancer Prevention Study Group

Not only have Vitamin A supplements been found to be ineffective in preventing cancer, high doses are in fact toxic and have been found to INCREASE the risk of certain cancers including lung CA

ACS :: Vitamin A and Beta Carotene

Oral and topical retinoids which are synthetic derivatives of Vitamin A have shown promise in treatment and prevention of certain skin cancers.....but Vitamin A tablets off the shelf....nope.

Glad your employment at Eisenhower gave you such "insight" into the treatment provided by physicians there (what exactly was your role?)...

Of course, it HAD to be about the MONEY, couldn't have been the fact that so many "natural" remedies that are touted on the internet have no data to support their use, or have in fact been studied and found to be useless

Papaya IS used to treat indigestion and stomach related ailments in natural and homopathic medicine.

[dsh1127]

I am somewhat neutral in this matter, but could I guess you could say that I am always willing to try natural remedies. Your title "Medications as Poison" does touch a spot with me. My ten year old daughter was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis about a year ago (which was a fluke thing, no symptoms, just showed up on labwork for something else). She was immediately put on Levothyroxine, and at first I was obedient and thought "Ok, we can do this, no big deal" - - I swear that stuff is poison. She has had countless problems since starting this medication, when she was fine before she ever had it. Her doctors would not change her med or try anything else - they would just tell me "Her test results are normal now, she is fine". They didn't know her as a person, she was not fine!

Anyways, long story short, I have now taken her to a Naturopath, who I think is actually listening, and plans to get her off this junk, in hopes that she can control the problem more naturally!

[bluedevilz]

Originally Posted by 2girlsand2boys

Papaya IS used to treat indigestion and stomach related ailments in natural and homopathic medicine.

I realize that.....

That's not what the OP alluded to. He stated that "medicines" are derivatives of natural products, such as effective "antacids" which contain papaya as an active ingredient.

Common ingredients found in "antacids" ie: medicines ( or poisons according to the OP) would include aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate.....not papaya.

[Jillaceae]

Originally Posted by Nature Guy

My practical experiences and observations while employed by Eisenhower Hospital clearly demonstrated to me that all these doctors were simply not promoting any natural cure remedies! The reason, apparently, was MONEY. There's not much money to be made telling patients that papaya or beta-carotene might just cure there problems! And who knows how many other natural elements might have amazing curative properties.

Doctors (like lawyers, and other professions) want there years of "education" to equate to M-O-N-E-Y. They didn't spend countless hours pouring over books, attending classes and reading journals only to have the remedies within the reach of most people...at considerable savings. We are currently living in an Age of Information unparelleled in history. Use this astonishing information for YOUR purposes.

Sure, there may be some illegitimate and incorrect information on the internet, but look for the general, most-mentioned stuff as the probable "truthful" information you seek. I personally have found this to be largely beneficial for nearly everything I seek information on. The most-mentioned is the most truthful.

There are also a lot of money to be made in telling people that papaya extract or beta-carotene will solve all your problems. If the supplement industry weren't also a huge, multi-billion dollar industry (also unregulated, just thought I would throw that in there), you may have an argument here, but unfortunately, you don't on the money point.

Yes, it is very true that there are a lot of pharmaceuticals that are ineffective, and may even be harmful, and the industry cares a little too much about making money, I am not disagreeing with you there. But you could say the same of the supplement industry as well. Most "natural" remedies aren't completely natural either. Nothing grows in pill form. So I guess I am little confused as to what makes the supplement industry more trust-worthy? I have always wondered why some people won't take so much as an asprin, but will spend hundreds of dollars on "natrual" pills and powders that are going to allegedly change their lives. Most of those pills and powders have been altered in some way to convert them into a digestible form or to make them more potent. Eating right is the only REAL natural remedy.

I am also a little worried that you are using the internet as your source for information. In the source trustworthy-ness hierarchy, the internet is basically at the bottom. Unless you have an online subscription to a peer-reviewed science journal, it isn't really possible to claim that your sources aren't utter malarky. It is entirely possible you are getting good information, yes, but how can you tell that you're not? Also, self diagnosing and treating can be dangerous. Any internet site that tells you it knows what your medical problem is, and offers you a chemical solution (Because everything is technically chemicals, even something that is naturally derived.) sounds pretty sketchy to me. If you don't actually have the biological background to assess their claims for yourself, and you can't find a reputable, scientific source to confirm the findings, how can you know what you are reading isn't crap? I majored in biology in college. If, in my papers, my evidence relied solely on internet sites I found, and I couldn't back up my point with journal or two, I woulnd't have done very well.

If beta-carotine really cured cancer, we would know. Sure, the pharmeceutical companies would loose money on cancer drugs if this were true, but you are missing another important money maker: The money (and fame and reputation) of being the person to make this discovery. The scientific community is simply not hiding cures from everyone. Even many sceintists working for the pharmeceutical companies probably want to help people, first and foremost. Probably like some of people who run the supplment industry want your money, first and foremost. I see no tangible evidence that one should view the supplement industry any differently than they would the parmeceutical industry.

[bluedevilz]

Originally Posted by Jillaceae

There are also a lot of money to be made in telling people that papaya extract or beta-carotene will solve all your problems. If the supplement industry weren't also a huge, multi-billion dollar industry (also unregulated, just thought I would throw that in there), you may have an argument here, but unfortunately, you don't on the money point.

Yes, it is very true that there are a lot of pharmaceuticals that are ineffective, and may even be harmful, and the industry cares a little too much about making money, I am not disagreeing with you there. But you could say the same of the supplement industry as well. Most "natural" remedies aren't completely natural either. Nothing grows in pill form. So I guess I am little confused as to what makes the supplement industry more trust-worthy? I have always wondered why some people won't take so much as an asprin, but will spend hundreds of dollars on "natrual" pills and powders that are going to allegedly change their lives. Most of those pills and powders have been altered in some way to convert them into a digestible form or to make them more potents. Eating right is the only REAL natural remedy.

I am also a little worried that you are using the internet as your source for information. In the source trustworthy-ness hierarchy, the internet is basically at the bottom. Unless you have an online subscription to a peer-reviewed science journal, it isn't really possible to claim that your sources aren't utter malarky. It is entirely possible you are getting good information, yes, but how can you tell that you're not? Also, self diagnosing and treating can be dangerous. Any internet site that tells you it knows what your medical problem is, and offers you a chemical solution (Because everything is technically chemicals, even something that is naturally derived.) sounds pretty sketchy to me. If you don't actually have the biological background to assess their claims for yourself, and you can't find a reputable, scientific source to confirm the findings, how can you know what you are reading isn't crap? I majored in biology in college. If, in my papers, my evidence relied solely on internet sites I found, and I couldn't back up my point with journal or two, I woulnd't have done very well.

If beta-carotine really cured cancer, we would know. Sure, the pharmeceutical companies would loose money on cancer drugs if this were true, but you are missing another important money maker: The money (and fame and reputation) of being the person to make this discovery. The scientific community is simply not hiding cures from everyone. Even many sceintists working for the pharmeceutical companies probably want to help people, first and foremost. Probably like some of people who run the supplment industry want your money, first and foremost. I see no tangible evidence that one should view the supplement industry any differently than they would the parmeceutical industry.

Great, great post....

I agree with everything you have written

[stoymonkey]

Vitamin A is neccessary to keep the skin healthy. I believe conventional medicine tells us this. Without it the skin is not able to protect itself fully from the damages of the sun. One of the effects of damaged skin is skin cancer. So therefore a healthy and normal amount of vitamin A would keep the skin from getting cancer. Common sense, right? But the skin needs SEVERAL different vitamins and minerals as well as EFA's.
Why won't medical companies "discover" that natural remedies have their place? Because they can't patent vitamins and would make NO money suggesting you eat foods loaded with natural vitamins.
Nature Guy- good post, and good for you. I wish more people were as open minded.